CN114650751A

CN114650751A - System and method for lift estimation

Info

Publication number: CN114650751A
Application number: CN202080075257.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 彼得·莱·拉弗勒·沃尔斯; 杰弗里·兰德尔·门辛; 穆斯塔法·A·埃尔金
Original assignee: Ergotron Inc
Current assignee: Ergotron Inc
Priority date: 2019-10-28
Filing date: 2020-10-27
Publication date: 2022-06-21
Anticipated expiration: 2040-10-27
Also published as: WO2021086849A1; CN114650751B; US11533988B2; DE112020005185T5; US20220265038A1

Abstract

A potentiometer or other position sensor coupled to the counterbalance mechanism can be used to estimate the lifting force of the height adjustable assembly. The estimated lifting force may be transmitted to a user, for example presented on an electronic display, and the user may continue to adjust the lifting force as needed to substantially balance the lifting force with the weight of the components coupled to the assembly.

Description

System and method for lift estimation

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This patent application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional patent application serial No. 62/926,715 (attorney docket No. 5983.451PRV), filed by Walls et al on 28.10.2019, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR LIFT FORCE ESTIMATION," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

This document relates generally, but not by way of limitation, to devices that can move equipment, such as electronic displays, keyboards, and other items, between multiple positions relative to an operator.

Background

The workstation may include a frame and a work surface. In some examples, the work surface may be height adjustable relative to the frame. For example, a user may selectively adjust the height of the work surface with respect to the frame to accommodate different poses of the user during use of the workstation. The ease of height adjustment may facilitate more frequent adjustment of the work surface,

the workstation may include a weight balancing mechanism with an energy storage device (e.g., a spring, etc.) to provide lift assistance to the user during height adjustment. The weight-balancing mechanism may lift at least a portion of a weight coupled to the work surface. The balancing mechanism may also include a lift estimation module to determine lift and to notify the user to better match the lift to the weights of the work surface.

Drawings

The following drawings illustrate specific non-limiting example configurations of the present invention and therefore do not limit the scope of the invention. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and are intended to be used in conjunction with the explanations in the following detailed description. Example configurations of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings illustrate generally, by way of example and not by way of limitation, the various configurations discussed in this document.

FIG. 1 depicts an example of a height adjustable mobile workstation that may implement various techniques of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a rear view, partially in rear section, of the workstation of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the upper end of the support column.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the adjustment mechanism of fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged side view of the adjustment mechanism of fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the adjustment mechanism of fig. 3 and shows the adjustment mechanism in an extended configuration of the extension spring.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the adjustment mechanism of FIG. 3 and illustrates the adjustment mechanism in a contracted configuration of the extension spring.

Fig. 8 is a graph depicting an example of force variation in a balancing mechanism.

Fig. 9 is a graph depicting an example of the calculation of the spring deformation amount using the potentiometer.

Fig. 10 is a graph depicting an example of force calculation in a balancing mechanism.

FIG. 11 is a graph depicting another example of force calculation in a balancing mechanism.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure describes various systems and methods to estimate the lifting force of a height adjustable assembly, e.g., a workstation, using a potentiometer or other position sensor coupled to a counterbalance mechanism. The estimated lifting force may be transmitted to a user, for example presented on an electronic display, and the user may continue to adjust the lifting force as needed to substantially balance the lifting force with the weight of the components coupled to the height adjustable portion of the workstation.

Detailed Description

The following detailed description is illustrative in nature and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides some practical illustrations for implementing various configurations of the present invention. Examples of configurations, materials, dimensions, and fabrication processes are provided for selected elements, and all other elements employ configurations, materials, dimensions, and fabrication processes known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many of the mentioned examples have various suitable alternatives.

The present inventors have recognized that it may be desirable for a height adjustable assembly, such as a user of a workstation, to be able to adjust the lifting force such that the lifting force is substantially the same as the known weight of a component coupled to a portion of the assembly. Typically, a user of the assembly knows the combined weight of all components, e.g., electronic displays, computers, etc., coupled to the assembly. Using the various systems and methods described below, the lift force may be estimated using a potentiometer or other position sensor coupled to a counterbalance mechanism. The estimated lifting force may be transmitted to a user, for example presented on an electronic display, and the user may continue to adjust the lifting force as needed to substantially balance the lifting force with the weight of the components coupled to the assembly.

FIG. 1 depicts an example of a height adjustable assembly that can implement various techniques of the present disclosure. The techniques of this disclosure are not limited to the particular height adjustable assembly shown in fig. 1, such as a height adjustable mobile workstation. Rather, the techniques of the present disclosure are applicable to other height adjustable assemblies, including for example (but not limited to) stationary desks, workstations, wall stations, and other configurations having movable components. The techniques of this disclosure are applicable to any type of height adjustable assembly.

The assembly 100 of fig. 1 includes a base 102 and a support column 104 (e.g., a fixed height riser, a telescoping riser, etc.) coupled to the base 102. A moving bracket (shown at 106 in fig. 2) may be slidably engaged with the support column. The head unit assembly 108 and the cable storage box 110 may be coupled to a mobile bracket.

A counterbalance mechanism 115 (shown in fig. 2) may be coupled between the support column 104 and the mobile bracket (shown at 106 in fig. 2). The counterbalance mechanism may provide height adjustment for the mobile carriage. The distance between the base 102 and the head unit assembly 108 may be selectively adjusted by translating the moving bracket relative to the base 102 along a portion of the support column 104.

The head unit assembly 108 may include a work surface 112, and a keyboard tray 114 may be located below the work surface 112. The display mounting assembly includes a display mounting riser 116 that may be coupled to the assembly 100. A display (not depicted) may be coupled to the display mounting riser 116 to position the display above the work surface 112. In some configurations, the drawer housing 117 may be coupled to the assembly 100.

The controller 118 may be located within the head unit assembly 108. As described in greater detail below, the controller 118 may be used, among other things, to adjust the height of the workstation and to determine various parameters for lift force estimation, such as the amount of spring deflection, etc.

Fig. 2 is a rear view, partially in section, of the workstation of fig. 1. The counterbalance mechanism 115 can be located inside the support column 104. The counterbalance mechanism 115 may include an extension spring 120 or other energy storage member, such as a compression spring or gas strut, and a wheel assembly 122 having a cam and a wheel coupled to each other. The wheel assembly 122 may be coupled to the support column 104.

The counterbalance mechanism 115 may be operatively coupled to the support column 104 and the mobile bracket 106. The counterbalance mechanism 115 can provide lift assistance during height adjustment for at least a portion of the total weight of various components coupled to the head unit assembly 108 (e.g., the head unit assembly 108, the display mounting riser 116, the display, the keyboard, the drawer housing, the drawer and its contents, and other medical equipment located on the work surface).

The extension spring may have a first end 124 and a second end 126. A first end 124 of the extension spring 120 may be coupled to the support post 104 and a second end 126 of the extension spring may be operatively coupled to the wheel assembly 122. In some examples, the tension spring 120 may generally have a constant coil diameter along its length. In other example configurations, one or more coils, such as coils near the first end 124 of the spring, may have a smaller coil diameter.

In some example configurations, as shown in fig. 3, an adjustment mechanism 125 may be coupled between the support post 104 and the first end 124 of the extension spring 120. The adjustment mechanism 125 may include an adjustment screw 138 having a screw head 128, an elongated block 140, and a support 142. The adjustment mechanism 125 may be used to adjust the tension on the extension spring 120.

A tension member (not shown in fig. 2) may be coupled between the wheel assembly 122 and the moving bracket 106. As the moving bracket 106 is displaced, the tension member may rotate the wheel assembly 122, which may extend the tension spring 120 to provide a balanced lifting force. The balanced lifting force may provide lift assistance for at least a portion of the combined weight of the components coupled to the mobile carriage 106.

In some examples, the locking mechanism may be housed inside the support column 104. The locking mechanism may include a locking bar 130 and a locking assembly 132. The locking bar 130 may be coupled to the support post 104. The locking assembly may be coupled to the moving bracket 106 and may slidingly engage the locking bar 130. The locking assembly 132 may be biased to clamp onto the locking bar 130 to secure the mobile bracket 106. A user of the workstation may selectively release the locking assembly 132 and allow the locking assembly 132 to slide along the locking bar 130 to adjust the height of the head unit assembly.

A potentiometer 134 (or other type of position sensor, such as an optical position sensor) may be coupled to the support post 104 and to the first end 124 of the extension spring 120. A potentiometer 134, such as a sliding potentiometer, may detect the amount of movement of the first end portion 124 of the extension spring 120 when the adjustment mechanism 125 adjusts the spring tension.

Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the upper end of the support column. The top bracket 136 may be fixedly attached to the upper end of the support column 104. Adjustment mechanism 125 may be coupled to top bracket via adjustment screw 138.

Adjustment screw 138 may be inserted through an aperture located on top bracket 136. The screw head 128 may be located on an upper surface of the top bracket 136. The screw 138 may be at least partially located inside the extension spring 120, and the extension spring 120 may be operatively coupled to the adjustment screw 138. The potentiometer 134 may be attached to the support column 104 near the upper end of the support column 104. The potentiometer 134 may include a slide bar 146.

The elongated block 140 may be coupled to a first end of the tension spring 120. The elongated block 140 may include an upper end and a lower end. The lower end of the elongated block 140 may be at least partially located inside the tension spring 120. In some examples, as shown in fig. 6 and 7, a cross-section of the elongated block 140 near a lower end of the elongated block 140 may be greater than an inner diameter of one or more coils located at an upper end of the tension spring 120. Accordingly, the lower end of the elongated block 140 may be received inside the tension spring 120, and the elongated block 140 may be used to extend the tension spring 120 using the adjustment mechanism 125.

A support 142 may be coupled to the elongated block 140. The support 142 may be shaped such that the support may guide the first end of the extension spring 120 during adjustment of the spring tension. An example of the outer contour of the support 142 is shown in fig. 4. The support 142 may be keyed to the elongated block 140, and the support 142 may contact the support post 104 on its outer profile. Accordingly, the support 142 may prevent the elongated block 140 from rotating, and the support allows the elongated block 140 to move in the axial direction of the elongated block.

As seen in fig. 3, the support 142 may include a pair of protrusions 144. The boss 144 may be positioned above and below the slide bar 146 of the potentiometer 134 in an assembled configuration such as shown in fig. 3-7. During adjustment of the spring tension, the protrusion 144 may move the slide bar 146 relative to the first end of the extension spring 120.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the adjustment mechanism 125 of fig. 3. Fig. 4 depicts the connection between the adjustment mechanism 125 and the potentiometer. As seen in fig. 4, the projection 144 of the support 142 may be located above and below the slide bar 146 of the potentiometer 134. As adjustment screw head 128 is rotated, adjustment screw 138 is rotated, which moves support 142 along the length of screw 138. As the support 142 moves, for example, downward, the top-most one of the protrusions 144 contacts the slide bar 146 of the potentiometer. As the sliding bar moves, e.g., moves downward, the sliding bar 146 (e.g., the wiper of the potentiometer) moves, causing the output voltage between the first and second electrical contacts of the potentiometer coupled to the wiper to change. In this way, a change in the position of the slide bar 146 corresponding to a change in the position of the end of the tension spring 120 results in a change in the output voltage.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged side view of the adjustment mechanism 125 of fig. 3. Fig. 5 depicts the connection between the adjustment mechanism 125 and the potentiometer.

Fig. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views of adjustment mechanism 125 of fig. 3. Fig. 6 shows adjustment mechanism 125 in an extended configuration of the extension spring and fig. 7 shows adjustment mechanism 125 in a retracted configuration of the extension spring. For the sake of brevity, fig. 6 and 7 will be described together.

As seen in fig. 6-7, in some examples, the elongated block 140 may have a hole in its center. The aperture may extend through the length of the elongate block from the upper end to the lower end of the elongate block. The nut 148 may have a threaded hole at the center thereof and may be coupled to the elongated block 140 near the lower end of the elongated block 140.

In some examples, the nut 148 may be keyed to the elongated block 140. Thus, the nut 148 cannot move or rotate relative to the elongated block 140, but the nut 148 may move with the elongated block 140 during adjustment of the spring tension. The adjustment screw 138 may be inserted through a hole located on the block 140 and the screw 138 may engage the nut 148.

To adjust the tension, a user of the workstation may rotate the adjustment screw 138, for example, by engaging a wrench with the screw head 128. As the adjustment screw 138 is rotated, the non-rotatable nut/block assembly may instead move in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the adjustment screw 138. Accordingly, the first end of the extension spring 120 may move upward or downward together with the elongated block 140.

As shown in fig. 6, when the elongated block 140 is moved toward the top bracket 136, the elongated block 140 may pull the first end of the extension spring 120 to place the spring in an extended configuration. The spring tension may be increased in the extended configuration to assist in lifting heavier components coupled to the head unit assembly (shown in fig. 1).

As shown in fig. 7, when elongated block 140 is moved away from top bracket 136, extension spring 120 relaxes to place extension spring 120 in a contracted configuration. The spring tension may be reduced in the contracted configuration to assist in lifting lighter components coupled to the head unit assembly (shown in fig. 1).

During adjustment of the spring tension, a projection 144 on the support 142 may engage a slide bar 146 and move the slide bar along the length of the potentiometer 134. The potentiometer 134 may be connected to the controller 118 of fig. 1. The potentiometer 134 may send a signal to the controller 118, such as an output voltage based on the position of the slide bar. As described in detail below, the controller 118 may use a signal, such as an output voltage, to determine the position of the first end of the extension spring 120. The controller 118 may then determine the amount of tension on the extension spring and correlate the amount of tension to the lift force, for example, based on preprogrammed logic.

Fig. 8 is a graph depicting an example of force variation in a balancing mechanism. The x-axis 150 represents the amount of spring deflection and the y-axis 151 represents force. The extension spring force 152 may be characterized by an initial tension force (Fo) and a spring rate (K). At any spring deflection, the spring force can be calculated according to equation 1 (below):

(spring force) (initial tension) + (spring rate) × (spring deflection) equation 1

As is apparent from equation 1 and as shown in fig. 8, the spring force 152 may increase in a linear manner as the spring deflection increases from an initial spring deflection 153 to a final spring deflection 154.

In a weight balancing mechanism, it may be desirable for the lifting force 155 (FL as shown in FIG. 8) to be substantially constant and equal to the weight to be lifted. The counterbalance mechanism 115 of fig. 2 may convert the increased spring force 152 into a substantially constant lifting force 155.

A user of the workstation of fig. 1 and 2 may adjust the tension on the extension spring using an adjustment mechanism 125, which adjustment mechanism 125 may be coupled to a first end of the extension spring 120. As described above with respect to fig. 6-7, a user may move the first end of the spring using the adjustment mechanism 125. As illustrated in fig. 8, the first spring deflection 156 (e.g., movement of the first end of the spring 124) may adjust the initial spring deflection 153, e.g., the first spring deflection 156 increases the spring tension from zero to the desired initial spring deflection 153.

The second end of the spring may be operatively coupled to a cam/wheel assembly, such as cam/wheel assembly 122 of fig. 2. During height adjustment, the cam/wheel assembly may rotate and pull the second end of the spring. As shown in fig. 8, the second spring deflection 157 (e.g., movement of the second end of the spring 126) is toward the final spring deflection 154 to increase the spring tension. An initial spring force 158 and a final spring force 159 corresponding to the initial spring deflection 153 and the final spring deflection 154, respectively, may be calculated using equation 1.

As shown in fig. 8, a cam/wheel assembly, such as cam/wheel assembly 122 of fig. 2, may convert the increased spring force into a substantially constant lifting force. The cam/wheel assembly may be operatively coupled to the head unit assembly. The cam/wheel assembly of the counterbalance mechanism 115 can use this substantially constant lifting force to provide lift assistance to the head unit assembly.

The present inventors have recognized that it may be desirable for a user of the workstation to be able to adjust the lifting force such that the lifting force is substantially the same as the known combined weight of the components coupled to the head unit assembly. Typically, the user of the workstation knows the weight of all components coupled to the head unit assembly, such as the electronic display, computer, etc. Using various techniques of the present disclosure, the lift force may be estimated using a potentiometer or other position sensor coupled to a counterbalance mechanism, such as, but not limited to, an optical position sensor. The estimated lifting force may be transmitted to a user, for example presented on an electronic display, and the user may continue to adjust the lifting force as needed to substantially balance the lifting force with the combined weight of the components coupled to the head unit assembly.

As described above, a potentiometer or other position sensor may be coupled to the support post. For example, as shown in fig. 6-7, a potentiometer 134 may be coupled to a first end of the extension spring 120. The potentiometer 134 may be electrically connected to the controller 118 of fig. 1. The controller 118 may control the application of the voltage across the two terminals of the potentiometer, for example, via separate voltage sources (not depicted). As the position of the slide bar 146 changes in response to movement of the first end of the extension spring, a third terminal (e.g., a brush) of the potentiometer coupled to the slide bar 146 moves and changes the output voltage of the potentiometer 134. A signal corresponding to the output voltage of the potentiometer corresponding to the position of the first end of the extension spring may be transmitted to the controller 118. In this manner, the controller 118 of fig. 1 can use a potentiometer to detect the movement and relative position of the first end of the extension spring 120 with respect to the support post 104.

For a linear potentiometer having direct mechanical motion, such as translation of the slide bar 146 of fig. 6-7, the formula used to correlate the output voltage of the potentiometer to the amount of translation is a linear equation, as shown in equation 2 below:

y-mx + b equation 2

The voltage (x) may correspond to a signal transmitted from the potentiometer 134 to the controller 118 of fig. 1. The voltage, which may be multiplied by a scaling constant (m), may be added to the offset constant (b) to calculate a corresponding translation amount or distance (y).

The scaling constant and the offset constant (m and b, respectively) may be determined by measuring the voltage at two known distances (e.g., a first distance where the slide bar 146 is in the first position and a second distance where the slide bar 146 is in the second position). The controller 118 may substitute the voltage value and the distance value into x and y in equation 2, respectively, to obtain two equations. By solving these two equations with two unknowns (e.g., m and b), the controller 118 may determine the scaling constant and the offset constant (m and b).

Fig. 9 is a graph depicting an example of the calculation of the spring deformation amount using the potentiometer. The x-axis 160 represents the output voltage of the potentiometer and the y-axis 161 represents the amount of spring deflection due to tension adjustment.

Once the controller 118 (controller 118 of fig. 1) determines the amount of translation (y) of the first end of the spring, the controller 118 may convert the amount of translation (y) into an amount of spring deflection (δ) by comparing the amount of translation (y) to the free length of the spring. Thus, a set of data pairs at two distances can be determined.

As shown in fig. 9, for example, the controller 118 may determine a first data pair (e.g., a first voltage VI (as shown at 162) and a first amount of spring deflection δ 1 (as shown at 163)) at a first distance when the slide bar is in the first position and a second data pair (e.g., a second voltage V2 (as shown at 164) and a second amount of spring deflection δ 2 (as shown at 165)) at a second distance when the slide bar is in the second position. As shown in fig. 9, during a tensioning adjustment, such as a tensioning adjustment made manually by a user or automatically by a motor, the controller 118 may determine the amount of spring deformation δ S (shown at 167) at a voltage V (shown at 166) generated by a potentiometer.

Fig. 10 is a graph depicting an example of force calculation in a balancing mechanism. The x-axis 170 represents the amount of spring deflection (δ) and the y-axis 171 represents the lifting or spring force (F).

As described above with respect to fig. 9, once the amount of spring deflection δ S is determined (as shown at 172), the spring or lift force FS may be calculated (as shown at 173) using the initial tension (Fo) and spring rate (K) according to equation 1. As described above with respect to fig. 8, during height adjustment, the second end of the spring may be pulled by the cam/wheel assembly to increase the amount of spring deformation to δ S' (as shown at 174). As shown in fig. 10, the spring force increases linearly to FS' (as shown at 175) due to the increase in spring tension Δ (as shown at 184) due to the height adjustment.

The cam/wheel assembly (and in particular the cam profile) may convert the increased spring force (as shown at 180) generated by the extension spring (e.g., the spring force increased from FS (as shown at 173) to FS' (as shown at 175) during height adjustment) into a substantially constant lifting force FL (as shown at 182). As described above with respect to fig. 8, the substantially constant lifting force 182 may be used to provide lift assistance to the head unit assembly during height adjustment. Additional information related to this transition may be found in sweet et al, commonly assigned U.S. patent No. us8286927, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, and in particular, in column 6, lines 28 through 40, and column 9, lines 45 through 67.

As shown in fig. 10 and discussed above, the voltage V generated by the potentiometer 134 may be converted to a substantially constant lifting force FL through a series of calculations performed by the controller 118. The controller 118 may generate an output to the user (e.g., presented on a display resident on a computer screen) indicative of the determined amount of lifting force. If the user is not satisfied with the determined lift (e.g., the lift does not match the combined weight of the components coupled to the head unit assembly), the user may continue to adjust the spring tension until the desired lift is achieved as described above with respect to fig. 6-7.

In some examples, the lift force FL may be measured directly (e.g., using a force sensor coupled to the head unit assembly, etc.). Instead of measuring the voltage and converting the voltage to the amount of spring deflection and then calculating the lifting force as discussed above, the voltage and lifting force may be measured directly and correlated as shown in fig. 11.

FIG. 11 is a graph depicting another example of force calculation in a balancing mechanism. The x-axis 190 represents the output voltage of the potentiometer and the y-axis 191 represents the lift force (F). At two distances (e.g., a first distance where the slide bar of the potentiometer is in a first position and a second distance where the slide bar is in a second position), the voltage and the lifting force may be measured via the potentiometer and the force sensor, respectively. For example, the force sensor may be coupled to a tension member that connects the cam/wheel assembly to the moving bracket.

For example, at a first distance, the voltage and lift force measurements may be VI (as shown at 192) and FI (as shown at 193), respectively, and at a second distance, the voltage and lift force may be V2 (as shown at 194) and F2 (as shown at 195), respectively. Using linear equations for these two distances, the scaling constant and the offset constant (M and B, respectively) can be calculated, as shown in FIG. 11. Then, using the linear equation y — Mx + B, the lifting force FL (as shown at 196) can be calculated for the measured voltage V (as shown at 197), as shown in fig. 11.

The controller 118 may generate an output to the user (e.g., displayed on a resident computer screen) indicative of the determined amount of lifting force. If the user is not satisfied with the determined lift (e.g., the lift does not match the combined weight of the components coupled to the head unit assembly), the user may continue to adjust the spring tension until the desired lift is achieved as described above with respect to fig. 6-7.

Although described above with respect to manual tension adjustment, the lifting force estimation techniques of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. Rather, in some examples, the tension adjustment may be performed automatically by the workstation.

For example, the shaft of the electric motor may be mechanically coupled to an adjustment screw, such as the adjustment screw of fig. 6-7. Further, the assembly of fig. 1 may include one or more weight sensors to determine the total weight of various components coupled to head unit assembly 108, e.g., electronic displays, computers, etc., e.g., one or more weight sensors coupled to base 102 or other portions of assembly 100. The controller 118 may receive the signal from the weight sensor and, as described above, the controller 118 may output a control signal to the electric motor if the lifting force determined by the controller 118 does not substantially match the detected weight. In response, the electric motor may rotate the adjustment screw to adjust the spring tension of the extension spring until the lifting force substantially matches the detected weight as determined by the controller 118.

In some example configurations, the controller may track the time to adjust the lift force. The controller may periodically (e.g., every three months, or more or less frequently after making adjustments) prompt a user of the workstation to check the lift associated with the weight of the various components coupled to the head unit assembly. For example, if additional components are coupled to or decoupled from the head unit assembly after the lift force is adjusted, a user of the workstation may be prompted to verify and correct the lift force adjustment accordingly to optimize the performance of the counterbalance mechanism.

In some other example configurations, the controller may also generate reports of weight of components coupled to the head unit assembly and lift adjustments and time to the cloud-based management software. The cloud-based management software may alert the user if inappropriate adjustments or long duration of no adjustments are detected based on preprogrammed logic. The cloud-based management software may issue audiovisual alerts, send emails, etc. to the user's portable electronic device.

Additional description and aspects

Aspect 1 may include or use subject matter (such as an apparatus, a system, a device, a method, a means for performing an action, or a device-readable medium comprising instructions that when executed by a device may cause the device to perform an action), such as may include or use a height adjustable workstation configured to estimate a lift, the workstation comprising: a height adjustable assembly configured to support a load; a counterbalance mechanism coupled to the height adjustable assembly and configured to provide a lifting force to balance the load, the counterbalance mechanism including an energy storage member; an adjustment mechanism coupled to the energy storage member and configured to adjust a tension of the energy storage member; a position sensor coupled to the energy storage member and configured to output a signal based on a position of the energy storage member; and a controller configured to receive the signal and estimate a lifting force of the counterbalance mechanism.

Aspect 2 may include or use the subject matter of aspect 1 or may optionally be combined with the subject matter of aspect 1 to optionally include or use wherein the position sensor is a potentiometer.

Aspect 3 may include or use the subject matter of aspect 2 or may optionally be combined with the subject matter of aspect 2 to optionally include or use a sliding potentiometer wherein the potentiometer is a sliding potentiometer having a sliding bar, the height adjustable assembly comprising: a support coupled to the energy storage member and configured to be coupled to at least a portion of the sliding bar when the adjustment mechanism adjusts the tension of the energy storage member.

Aspect 4 may include or use the subject matter of aspect 3 or may optionally be combined with the subject matter of aspect 3 to optionally include or use wherein the support includes a pair of lobes, wherein at least one lobe of the pair of lobes is configured to couple to at least a portion of the sliding bar when the adjustment mechanism adjusts the tension of the energy storage member.

Aspect 5 may include or use the subject matter of aspect 1 or may optionally be combined with the subject matter of aspect 1 to optionally include or use wherein the controller is configured to generate an output to the user indicative of the estimated lifting force.

Aspect 6 may include or use the subject matter of aspect 5 or may optionally be combined with the subject matter of aspect 5 to optionally include or use wherein the output is displayed to a user.

Aspect 7 may include or use the subject matter of aspect 1 or may optionally be combined with the subject matter of aspect 1 to optionally include or use wherein the controller is configured to: determining an amount of translation of an end of the energy storage member; determining an amount of spring deflection using the determined amount of translation; and estimating the lifting force using the determined amount of spring deflection.

Aspect 8 may include or use subject matter (such as an apparatus, a system, a device, a method, a means for performing an action, or a device-readable medium comprising instructions that when executed by a device may cause the device to perform an action), such as may include or use a method of determining a lift force of a height adjustable assembly, the height adjustable assembly configured to support a load, the method comprising: adjusting a tension of an energy storage member of a counterbalance mechanism configured to provide a lifting force to balance a load; generating a signal based on a position of the energy storage member using a position sensor; and determining the lift force using the signal.

Aspect 9 may include or use the subject matter of aspect 8 or may optionally be combined with the subject matter of aspect 8 to optionally further include: an output is generated to the user indicative of the determined amount of lifting force.

Aspect 10 may include or use the subject matter of aspect 8 or may optionally be combined with the subject matter of aspect 8 to optionally include or use wherein generating an output to a user indicative of the determined amount of lift comprises: the lifting force is displayed to the user.

Aspect 11 may include or use the subject matter of aspect 8 or may optionally be combined with the subject matter of aspect 8 to optionally include or use wherein determining the lift force using the signal comprises: determining an amount of translation of an end of the energy storage member; determining an amount of spring deflection using the determined amount of translation; and determining a lifting force using the determined amount of spring deflection.

Each of these non-limiting examples may exist independently or may be combined with any one or more of the other examples in any permutation or combination.

The foregoing detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific examples in which the subject matter may be practiced. These examples are also referred to herein as "examples. Such examples may include elements in addition to those illustrated or described. However, the inventors also contemplate examples in which only those elements shown or described are provided. Moreover, the inventors also contemplate examples using any combination or permutation of those elements (or one or more aspects of those elements) shown or described with respect to a particular example (or one or more aspects of a particular example) or with respect to other examples (or one or more aspects of other examples) shown or described herein.

In the event of inconsistent usages between this document and any documents incorporated by reference, the usage in this document controls.

In the appended claims, the terms "comprises," "comprising," and "includes" are open-ended, that is, a system, apparatus, article, composition, formulation, or process that comprises elements in addition to those elements listed after such term in a claim is still considered to be within the scope of that claim. Furthermore, in the appended claims, the terms "first," "second," and "third," etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects.

The above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the above-described examples (or one or more aspects of the above-described examples) may be used in combination with each other. Other examples may be used, such as by one of ordinary skill in the art after reviewing the above description. The abstract is provided to comply with 37c.f.r. § 1.72(b), to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. This abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Additionally, in the foregoing detailed description, various features may be grouped together to streamline the disclosure. This should not be construed as an attempt to make the non-claimed disclosed features essential to any claim. Rather, inventive subject matter may lie in less than all features of a particular disclosed example. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description as examples or configurations, wherein each claim stands alone as a separate example, and it is contemplated that such examples can be combined with each other in various combinations or permutations. The scope of the inventive subject matter should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Claims

1. A height adjustable workstation configured to estimate a lift force, the workstation comprising:

a height adjustable assembly configured to support a load;

a counterbalance mechanism coupled to the height adjustable assembly and configured to provide a lifting force to balance the load, the counterbalance mechanism including an energy storage member;

an adjustment mechanism coupled to the energy storage member and configured to adjust a tension of the energy storage member;

a position sensor coupled to the energy storage member and configured to output a signal based on a position of the energy storage member; and

a controller configured to receive the signal and estimate a lifting force of the counterbalance mechanism.

2. The height adjustable workstation of claim 1, wherein the position sensor is a potentiometer.

3. The height adjustable workstation of claim 2, wherein the potentiometer is a sliding potentiometer having a sliding bar, the height adjustable assembly comprising:

a support coupled to the energy storage member and configured to be coupled to at least a portion of the slide bar when the adjustment mechanism adjusts the tension of the energy storage member.

4. The height adjustable workstation of claim 3, wherein the support comprises a pair of bosses, wherein at least one of the pair of bosses is configured to couple to at least a portion of the slide bar when the adjustment mechanism adjusts the tension of the energy storage member.

5. The height adjustable workstation according to claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to generate an output to a user indicative of the estimated lift force.

6. The height adjustable workstation according to claim 5 wherein the output is displayed to a user.

7. The height adjustable workstation according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

determining an amount of translation of an end of the energy storage member;

determining an amount of spring deflection using the determined amount of translation; and

estimating the lifting force using the determined amount of spring deflection.

8. A method of determining a lift force of a height adjustable assembly configured to support a load, the method comprising:

adjusting a tension of an energy storage member of a counterbalance mechanism configured to provide the lifting force to counterbalance the load;

generating a signal based on a position of the energy storage member using a position sensor; and

determining the lift force using the signal.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

generating an output to a user indicative of the determined lifting force.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein generating an output to a user indicative of the determined amount of lifting force comprises:

displaying the lifting force to a user.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the lifting force using the signal comprises:

determining an amount of translation of an end of the energy storage member;

determining the lifting force using the determined amount of spring deflection.